Mercedes run of poor form continued in suzuka, with
Lewis Hamilton failing to finish and Nico Rosberg's
race marred by mishandled pit stops and on-track
altercations.
Making a superb start from third on the grid, Hamilton
got a run on both RB9s, but the Mercedes driver found
himself squeezed between the Red Bulls as the pair tried
to recover from twin poor starts. Mark Webber moved
right, forcing Hamilton to do the same, and the result was
contact with Sebastian Vettel, whose front wing sliced
through Hamilton's right rear tyre, giving the Briton the
unenviable task of coasting for a whole lap before he
could return to the pits.
“I feel most gutted for the team – the guys here at
the track and in the factory – because they are doing
an amazing job right now and we're just not getting the
reward for it,” said Hamilton after the race.
Hamilton returned to the track after a quick stop, but
with vastly changed handling characteristics. Describing
his car as “all over the place,” Hamilton was losing close
to one second per lap to the leading pack and the decision
was taken to retire the car.
Nico Rosberg faired only marginally better when he was
released from of his pit box into the path of Sergio Perez,
forcing the McLaren driver to take evasive action before
entering his own box.
The move earned Rosberg a drive-through penalty that
ironically brought him right back behind Perez, who was
clearly still disgruntled by the earlier incident. On the
run out of 130R, Rosberg got a tow from the McLaren
and swept to the left in an attempt to undercut Perez
and gain track position as the chicane changed direction.
Perez, however, was having none of it and cut across the
Mercedes nose before Nico could execute the move.
Rosberg was less than complimentary of Perez's tactics
going into the chicane. “I made a good start today and
was in a strong position until my first pit stop,” he said.
“Unfortunately we then had the incident as I left the pit box
which ultimately cost me a top position. I wasn't happy
with Perez as the rules are clear; you can defend once and
close the door but you can't switch sides again.”
Mercedes
misery in Mie
35
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